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New Barclay Aviator Red 40k Aadvantage offer after 1st purchase
We learned earlier in the year that American Airlines was going to keep partnerships with both Citi and Barclay, I called it a Menage a Credit. Barclay used to have a partnership with US Airways and those that held cards with them were converted to Barclay Aviator Reds after the Us Airways/AA merger. I was one of these people and figured I’d hold that card for a long time as it provided some sweet benefits ( my faves were 10% back on redemptions and reduced mileage awards) and it would be phased out. It was worth the annual fee. However, my thinking changed after they announced they would issue new cards. Now, we have a new Barclay Aviator 40k Aadvantage offer after 1st purchase. Let’s take a look.
The application is live…which I’m surprised about.
Initially it was reported that Barclay would only allow applications on flights and in airports. This was the contract they struck and then Citi would be online, etc. But this application is definitely live online…
40k after first purchase!
But there are some restrictions on getting awarded the bonus miles
- first time cardmembers with new accounts only
- Existing cardmembers, existing accounts, and previous accounts closed in the last 24 months aren’t eligible for the bonus
Some questions I have…
- I downgraded my Barclay Aviator Red to a Barclay Aviator. I’m technically not an existing Aviator Red nor did I close my account – so am I eligible? Or does this fall under existing accounts?
- They will roll out Barclay Aviator Silvers and Gary Leff commented on this today after his talk with a Barclay rep. If I have a Barclay Aviator/Aviator Red account, but have never had a Silver…am I eligible to sign up and get a bonus?
- They are also going to roll out Barclay business cards ( which I’d be most interested in as it wouldn’t go against 5/24), but if you have personal accounts that are existing…does that make me ineligible? I’ve never had a Barclay Aviator business…I feel like people in my situation should be eligible.
- Maybe I’m overlooking this…but I don’t see any mention of the American’s Reduced Mileage Awards for this card…Am I just overlooking this? That’s a sizeable depreciation if this new Red isn’t a member of that program. The current Barclay Aviator Red is mentioned on the American list of cards that qualify…but odd that there is no mention of this great benefit on the application.
It’ll be interesting to see data points on sign up bonuses and how this relates to “existing accounts.” I would hope that if you have never held a premium Aviator Silver or a business version of the card that you are at least eligible for those bonuses even if you’re held a Aviator or a Red. Time will tell.
Listed major bennies
Overall: It’s a solid offer ( after 1st purchase for 40k miles – BYAH!) but for those who like to get cards on cards on cards…it’s a wait and see.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card went through a major refresh in 2026 adding new bonus categories, travel protections, statement credits, and remains one of the best travel starter cards in the market. It earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based including Hyatt, Southwest, United, IHG, and Marriott. Note that Hyatt is now a 4:3 transfer partner
Welcome Offer
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
Earn
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on gas and EV charging
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on vacation homes at top brands
- Cardmembers will earn 3x points on vacation homes at these top brands: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plu Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa.
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- 2x on all other travel
- 1x on everyday purchases
- 5x points on Lyft rides Earn 5x total points on eligible Lyft rides including ride share, bike and scooter rides and subscription and membership products through September 30, 2027.
- 5x total points on Peloton equipment Earn 5x total points on eligible Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 through December 31, 2027.
Benefits and Credits
- $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- NEW: $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit Cardmembers will receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to the card.
- NEW: Complimentary Apple TV subscription for one year
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is great starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Chase Ink Business Cash® , Chase Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into the Sapphire Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee remains quite low at $95 a year and if you use the $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠ you’ll wipe out that annual fee every year. It has great bonus categories and other useful statement credits to enhance your travel.
One thing that is a bummer is Chase lowered the transfer ratio to World of Hyatt from 1:1 to 4:3.
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.